


Miniature Disasters and Minor Catastrophes

by lifeinabeautifullight



Series: KIN [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, Domestic, Drama, F/F, Fluff, Follows on from the S2 finale, Gen, secret engagement
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-12
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-13 01:30:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11174205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lifeinabeautifullight/pseuds/lifeinabeautifullight
Summary: It's been two weeks since they got engaged, yet Alex and Maggie have yet to tell a soul. Their first day off in weeks is cancelled as someone seemingly starts to target Supergirl...but is it Supergirl that they want? And will Alex and Maggie ever get the chance to pick out gorgeous diamond rings for each other?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Thank you for clicking on this fic! This will be my ongoing fic that I'll aim to update at least once a week to help keep spreading the Sanvers love during this long-ass hiatus. As always, comments are welcome and appreciated! x

They’d been engaged for two weeks and were yet to tell a soul. In fairness, they hadn’t had much time to do so. The city was still reeling from everything that had happened, resulting in hands-on approaches from both the DEO and the NCPD to help the city recover.

Then there was also the fact that they liked their little secret. They were yet to exchange rings, so it wasn’t as if their engagement was obvious. J’onn knew, of course, but he had simply smiled his congratulations at them and never said anything more – like Alex's coming out, it wasn’t his place to say anything. Other than him, no one else was aware and as they lay in bed together, on their first day off in forever, they had no immediate plans to make any announcements.

The sunlight that filtered in was warm on Alex’s bare back. ‘I can feel you staring.’

‘Admiring,’ Maggie corrected. She’d been _admiring_ , her head propped up by her arm, ever since she woke face-to-face with her fiancée.

‘Ugh, you’re so in love it’s disgusting,’ Alex said with a smile.

Maggie reached out to brush strands of Alex’s hair away from her face. ‘I can’t help it. Have you seen how beautiful my fiancée is?’

‘Flattery.’

‘Honesty,’ Maggie countered, her eyes and smile soft and both full of love. ‘So, our first day off in forever…what do you wanna do?’

Alex’s eyes flitted open and they were bright and happy, the combination of a much-needed good night’s sleep and from being in the presence of her love. ‘Is nothing an option?’

‘It is.’

‘Then let’s do it.’

‘Hmm,’ Maggie said, scrunching up her nose.

‘What? You don’t like that plan?’

‘No, no, it’s just that I don’t want to do _nothing_.’

‘What do you wanna do?’

‘For starters, I want to kiss you.’

Alex grinned. ‘Go for it.’

And Maggie did and leaned forward to close the distance between them, to place her lips on Alex’s, to gently nibble on Alex’s lips.

The content groan that escaped Alex turned to one of frustration as her phone started to ring. ‘Please don’t be work, please don’t be work,’ she muttered as she rolled over to reach for her phone, her sleepy eyes squinting at the display. ‘It’s Kara.’

‘Answer it.’

Alex nodded and hit accept. ‘Hey Kar--. Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down…oh shit, are you okay?...I’ll come over…no, seriously, it’s fine…yes, I know you can look after yourself but I’m still coming…okay, good. See you soon.’

If there wasn’t concern all over her fiancée’s face, Maggie would have been severely pissed at how quickly the prospect of a lazy day in bed had disappeared. ‘What happened?’

‘Someone broke into Kara’s apartment.’

‘Is she okay?’

‘A little shook up by it but otherwise okay. Lucky for the assholes who broke in, she wasn’t home at the time.’

It wasn’t quite as simple as that, though. Maggie knew that and that was why she continued with her questioning. ‘You think there might be more to it?’ _You know, since your sister is the Girl of Steel?_

‘Maybe, I don’t know and she doesn’t know either. But better being safe than sorry, right?’

‘Right.’

Concern was replaced by annoyance as Alex sighed and sank back into her pillow. ‘One day. Is it too much to ask that people stop doing shitty things for one goddamn day?’

‘Yep.’

Annoyance transformed into worry yet again. ‘This is going to happen on our wedding day, I bet you.’

The word _wedding_ and any other allusion to it and marriage, never failed to make Maggie feel giddy at the prospect and she smiled as she placed a hand on Alex’s chest. ‘Knowing this city, probably. But babe, it’ll be fine. We can kick ass in the morning, dresses and all, and be at the alter in the afternoon. Nothing will stop me from marrying you, I promise.’

Her words made Alex sit up. Well, only one word did. ‘You’re wearing a dress?’

‘Maybe,’ Maggie said coyly.

‘You were talking about a suit the other night.’

‘I was.’ That wasn’t a lie and she had spent quite some time discussing why she was considering wearing a tailored tux on their big, and as of yet undetermined, day. The dinnertime discussion had left Alex salivating over much more than the paella.

‘So? What are you wearing?’

‘I don’t know, I haven’t decided yet. And I haven’t decided if I’m going to tell you yet either.’

‘You’re a tease.’

‘Uh-huh,’ Maggie grinned. ‘And I’ve got a lifetime full of teasing you to come, so let’s put on some clothes and head to Kara’s.’

‘It’s your day off, you don’t have to--.’

Maggie was already up, standing naked before Alex. ‘I’m coming, Alex. I’m spending today with you just like I planned to.’

 

/ / /

 

Before working homicide and joining the Science Division, Maggie had worked robberies. The busted in front door to Kara’s apartment was an all too familiar sight.

As deduced from the phone call, the youngest Danvers sister was shaken by the event but, as expected from Supergirl, not scared. And there was anger lacing her usually joyful tone. ‘Where should we start?’

‘The basics,’ Maggie replied. ‘What’s been taken?’

‘Well, the TV obviously and my purse and--. Are you kidding me? They took my Wii and _Mario Kart_!’

Maggie pinched the bridge of her nose as she continued to pace, to think, to wonder why someone would take a decade old games console and not the year old MacBook that sat in plain view on the coffee table besides a bunch of… _wedding magazines_? Her heart leapt in her chest at the discovery but she tried to play it cool and casual as she called after Kara. ‘Hey, uh, what’s with the wedding magazines?’

The question made Alex sharply turn around, her eyes just as wide as Maggie’s. She wasn’t as cool or as casual, stammering. ‘W-wedding magazines?’

There was a shakiness in Kara’s voice too. ‘Oh, um, they’re not mine.’

Maggie arched a brow and pressed on with her questioning as a million questions ran through her mind. _Did Kara know? Who told her? J’onn would never, would he? Or did Kara’s extra-sensitive hearing allow her to overhear something?_ ‘Then who do they belong to?’

‘Uh…’

Maggie kept asking. She needed to know. ‘Did the person who broke in leave them?’

The question made Kara sigh. ‘Okay, okay, fine. I bought them.’

‘Why?’ Alex asked.

‘I, uh…I have a vision board okay?’ Kara sighed again, this time shrugging. ‘Vision boards are totally normal for people my age to plan out their dreams and aspirations.’

‘Most people your age use _Pinterest_ for that now,’ Alex remarked, looking just as relieved as Maggie felt.

Kara shook her head. ‘I tried but I don’t understand it.’

They spent another five minutes going over the apartment before Maggie decided that she had seen enough and gently took hold of Kara’s forearm. ‘Hey, why don’t we go down to my precinct to file a report?’

‘What about the door?’

‘Alex can wait here and we can get someone to fix it. Let’s go now. No time like the present.’

Maggie waited until they were in the safety of her car before she broke the news.

‘We need your place swept for bugs.’

‘What?’ Kara said with wide eyes.

‘C’mon Kara. They took your Wii but they not your laptop? Or your iPad? That’s slightly weird, don’t you think?’

‘Kinda, yeah.’

Maybe it was an overreaction, maybe it wasn’t but, after everything that had happened recently, Maggie couldn’t help but be extra careful. And things right now didn’t seem to add up. ‘Did you have your phone with you when you were out?’

‘No, it was charging. _Oh_.’

Maggie nodded. ‘Exactly. Don’t use it again, just in case. I’ll text Alex and get her to get someone to sweep the place. I’ll take you to the precinct.’

‘Are we going to file a report? What if it’s Supergirl related?’

‘That’s why we’re _not_ filing a report. But if they’ve bugged your place, they’ve probably bugged your phone and will be expecting you to head to the precinct.’

‘What if they haven’t bugged anything? And they just really wanted to play _Mario Kart_?’

Maggie suppressed a laugh and a smile. ‘Then that’s cool. But let's not take that chance.’

 

/ / /

 

They did nothing at the precinct but sit in the breakroom, drinking coffee and getting to know each other better. Sure, they had known each other for over half a year but they didn’t really _know_ each other. The only time they’d spent any real time together, just the two of them, had been when Alex had been taken and exchanging life stories hadn’t been much of a priority.

Now, it kinda was. At least for Maggie who had the insider knowledge that they were going to become in-laws at some point within the next year. Getting to know her future sister-in-law was important, and she wanted Kara to know certain things now, rather than risk them coming out at a time that caught her by surprise, like it had on Valentine’s Day. Or in the run-up to her wedding day, when Kara inevitably wonders why only Maggie’s aunt attends.

Maggie manages to work it into the conversation when they’re discussing their love lives. ‘I came out when I fourteen. Not by choice.’

‘You were outed?’

‘Yeah. By a girl I liked. She told her parents and they told my parents and my parents kicked me out.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry. That’s horrible.’

‘My aunt, bless her, she took me in without even hesitating. She already hated my dad, some old argument from years ago. That was the thing, my dad loved to pick fights with anyone who didn’t see things how he did. So I stayed with my aunt until I moved away for college.’

‘What did you study?’

That question made Maggie smile because Kara listened and Kara understood how hard it was for Maggie to discuss her outing and, so, let the conversation move naturally on. ‘Initially, communications but I never really liked the course so switched to English Literature. The degree was always meant to be a back-up though. I always wanted to become a cop.’

‘Always?’

‘Always. I loved cop movies as a kid, I thought they were badass. Now, I think they’re woefully inaccurate, make zero sense and are, generally, laughable.’

‘Like _Die Hard_ then.’

‘Hey, _Die Hard_ is still a good movie.’

‘Questionable.’

The debated ceased there as Maggie’s phone began to ring and she answered it. ‘Sawyer.’

It was Winn. ‘Hey Maggie. Would you like the good news or the bad news?’

‘Um, good news?’

‘I may be hearing the sound of faint wedding bells in the distance.’

Her pulse quickened. ‘ _What?_ ’

‘There was a stack of wedding magazines at Kara’s apartment.’

And her pulse slowed back down, relief flooding through her veins. ‘Oh, _them_. Those were just for her stupid vision board she’s making.’

‘Hey!’ Kara protested.

Winn laughed. ‘A vision board? She doesn’t use _Pinterest_?’

‘Exactly what Alex said. Bad news now, Schott.’

‘Oh bad news is that her apartment is bugged. Like, really bugged. Every room is bugged in fact, even the bathroom.’

‘Okay, can we like trace the signals or something?’

‘Tried and failed. They’re very advanced and were very well-hidden. Very professional. They also disabled the security cameras in the building around the time they broke in.’

‘Professional yet they can’t pick locks and have to stage a robbery? Weird.’

‘Uh-huh. We left them in there for now. Maybe whoever’s behind it will be drawn out as Kara gets on with her life.’

‘They might have bugged her phone too,’ Maggie suggested, even though she was pretty sure that was a given.

‘Well they did bug her laptop, so most likely. Our best bet is for Kara to live as normal as a life as possible for the foreseeable. Sees if that draws them out because, honestly, we got nothing else.’

‘Yeah, makes sense. Thanks, Winn,’ Maggie said before hanging up and turning to Kara. ‘You’re going to be human for the next few days, how does that sound?’

‘Well, I hate public transport so, great,’ Kara deadpanned.

‘I’ll drive you back to the apartment. Alex and I will stay over and we’ll make it a movie day in case someone shows up. Don’t say anything that a normal human being wouldn’t say.’

Kara nodded. ‘Okay, but we can’t watch the TV.’

‘Yeah, you’re gonna need to work on the whole normal human lingo part.’

‘No, really we can’t. They took my TV.’

‘Oh… _shit_.’


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the love and support for the first chapter! x

In lieu of a movie night – since Kara was now missing one television – they had a friends night, with Winn and James coming over. At such short notice, they were already running low on beer and Maggie was primed to make a quick trip to buy some more once she finished her bottle. For now, she was content to cuddle into Alex’s side on the couch as Alex played with her hair and drank and chatted to James about nothing much in particular.

That was, until the conversation did change to something very particular. ‘Did I hear you two have big news?’

James’ question came out of nowhere and made Alex choke on her beer. ‘What?’

‘You and Maggie are moving in together, right? Or did I hear wrong?’

‘Oh, _that_. Yeah, yeah we are.’

They’d decided to call Alex’s their home once they got engaged and had been somewhat open with that information, although made no real announcement or big deal about it. They had been, for months, living together just not at one fixed address. And it made little sense to continue to pay two rents when they only needed to pay one. Alex’s apartment was bigger and nicer, so Alex’s apartment was to be their place.

‘Yeah, we’re just trying to find the time to pack up my apartment,’ Maggie added.

James smiled. ‘If you need any help, you know where I am. I’ve got some boxes if that’ll help.’

‘It would, thanks James,’ Maggie smiled back, grateful. She waited until he excused himself and joined the others around the kitchen island before she slapped her fiancée’s arm. ‘You need to chill out, alright? Or people are going to catch on.’

Alex wiped the dribbles of beer on her chin away with the back of her hand. ‘Did I tell you what happened when I came out to my mom?’

‘No, what?’

‘Well, she knew before I told her. She said that keeping secrets doesn’t agree with me and I’m starting to think she might be right.’

‘Wait, you never told me that. She suspected?’

‘Kinda. Apparently, I talked about you a lot. Like all the time.’

‘Babe, that’s gay,’ Maggie grinned, earning herself a glare.

‘Shut up.’

‘That’s probably what your mom thought when you kept gushing over me.’

‘I wasn’t…okay, fine, I gushed.’

‘Oh boy, did she gush,’ Kara laughed as she came over with a bowl of chips. ‘So what’s the secret?’

Now it was Maggie’s turn to choke on her drink. ‘Secret?’ She said, eyes wide and voice so small.

Kara tapped her ear. ‘I hear everything, remember? C’mon. Spill.’

Everyone was making their way back over. It would be the perfect opportunity to announce such happy news, surrounded by friends. Yet, perfect opportunity or not, it wasn’t the way either of them wanted to announce it. They wanted engagement rings to show off and champagne to toast to, not cheap beer. And they wanted, above all else, a little more time to call each other _fiancée_ in private before it ceased being just _their_ word.

Alex thought fastest. ‘Gertrude!’

‘ _Gertrude_?’ Winn frowned.

Maggie rolled her eyes and played along. ‘We are not calling her Gertrude.’

‘Gertrude is a lovely name,’ Alex protested.

‘If you think I’m yelling out _Gertrude_ in public, then you are sorely mistaken.’

Kara cleared her throat. ‘Um guys. Who is Gertrude?’

Alex sighed. ‘We were planning on keeping this a secret but we’re thinking about adopting. A dog.’

The youngest Danvers sibling squealed.

James grinned, wrongly knowingly. ‘So _that’s_ why you’re moving in together.’

‘Yep, you got us,’ Maggie nodded, a little taken aback at how easy it was to deceive these people, the same people who tirelessly fought to protect the city from harm. ‘Although, for the millionth time, we will not be naming them Gertrude.’

‘I like Gertrude,’ Kara said. ‘You could call her Gertie or Trudy for short.’

‘See?’ Alex grinned. ‘Gertrude will be her Sunday name. Like Margaret is yours.’

‘And like Alexandra is yours?’

That wiped the smile from her face. ‘Touché, babe. Touché.’

‘Uh-huh,’ Maggie murmured, finishing off her beer, the last of the six pack they’d brought over. They’d only been here for an hour and it wasn’t even eight o’clock yet. ‘I’m off on a beer run. Anyone want anything specific, alcoholic or otherwise?’

‘Cupcakes.’

Maggie narrowed her eyes at her future sister-in-law. ‘Cupcakes?’

‘My apartment was broken into this morning. I deserve some sort of treat.’

‘Okay…anyone want anything else?’

‘Uh, since you’re asking. Could you get me cereal? I finished mine this morning and forgot to buy more.’ Winn asked.

She should’ve just left to get beer instead of taking orders. ‘What kind of cereal?’

‘Fruity Pebbles.’

‘Beer, cupcakes and Fruity Pebbles…the cashier is going to think I’m having the party of the century tonight,’ Maggie laughed. ‘How about you, James? Do you want anything ridiculous too?’

James chuckled and shook his head. ‘I’m good. Thanks though.’

‘Anytime,’ Maggie said, standing and holding out her hand to Alex. ‘Shall we?’

Her fiancée took her hand with a smile and they walked hand-in-hand out of the apartment. They went down one flight of stairs until Alex stopped suddenly. ‘Shit, I forgot my phone. I’ll run back up and meet you outside.’

Maggie nodded and continued down.

When she reached the lobby, she didn’t need to be a detective to instantly notice how shifty the man fiddling with the mailboxes looked.

‘Hey buddy, what do you think you’re doing?’ She asked, calmly, as she approached him, already bracing herself for any sudden movement.

The guy in front of her didn’t move but the man behind her, the one that she hadn’t seen, did and moved fast, slamming her into the wall, headfirst. Dazed, she groaned but was far from giving up. She clamoured to her feet and swung a wild elbow but it was too wild, too uncoordinated. The man, bald and bearded, caught it with ease and twisted it.

Maggie bit down hard on her lip to avoid letting a yelp escape her, to avoid showing weakness but it was already too late. She was out of it, helpless and was completely unable to dodge the fist that flew at her face.

She hit the deck hard, just as a familiar voice called out.

‘Maggie!’

Alex, who’d heard the commotion from the second floor, hurtled down the stairs, only to be brought to a sudden stop at the sight of the 9mm in the hands of Maggie’s attacker. It was aimed directly at Maggie’s head.

‘Move and she’s dead.’

The threat worked and allowed the thugs to back towards the door of the apartment block and take off into the night. The second they were gone and out of sight, Alex rushed over to Maggie. ‘Hey,’ she said softly as she crouched beside her.

‘Go after them,’ Maggie groaned.

‘They’re armed and I’m not, it’s too dangerous. And besides, you’re hurt.’

Blood trickled from a cut on her temple and her fiancée was a blur in front of her as she tried to sit up. ‘One of them was at the mailboxes.’

Alex placed a hand at the small of Maggie’s back as she eased her up into a sitting position. ‘As much as I want to know what the hell is going on here, you’re my priority right now.’ She gently cupped Maggie’s cheek as she examined the gash. ‘And that needs stitches.’

‘Great,’ Maggie muttered.

‘I’ll look after you, it’s okay,’ Alex smiled as she pressed a kiss to Maggie’s forehead. ‘I’ll call the gang upstairs and we can reconvene at the DEO. I need to make sure that you’re okay and then we’ll start hunting down the bastards behind all of this.’ There was fire in Alex’s eyes as she added, ‘And they’re gonna pay for going after my sister and my fiancée.’

 

/ / /

 

If asked, she would laugh at the suggestion. Detective Maggie Sawyer who went after murderers and aliens, scared of doctors? Never, that was absurd. Yet the truth was that she was. Needles were always a giant nope, dental visits were delayed as much as possible and the flu was always fought through, much to her colleagues’ chagrin. She just never liked the experience, never liked people poking into her private life with questions or prodding her with pieces of metal. It always made her feel uncomfortable.

Except when it was Alex.

She would always remember the day that she saw her life flash before her eyes after she was struck down by a laser. The day she woke in the medbay with Alex standing over her with a kind smile. All the tension in her body had eased at that smile. She’d always felt comfortable with Alex, always felt cared for, always felt safe.

The only difference between the way Alex treated her then and the way she was treating her now, were the kisses.

‘Are you this loving to all your patients?’

‘Only the ones that I plan on marrying,’ Alex grinned as she leaned down to place one more kiss on Maggie’s forehead, just a few centimetres away from where she had put in neat stitches. ‘Those should start to dissolve within a week.’

‘Anything special that I should do to care for them?’

‘Yes.’ Alex discarded her surgical gloves before she turned back to Maggie. ‘You let me care for them.’

‘Noted,’ Maggie nodded as she swung her legs off the exam bed, about to push herself off when the world started to spin again, and she toppled forward.

Alex was there to catch her. ‘Whoa, easy. You okay?’

‘A little woozy.’

‘Easy, easy,’ Alex whispered as she helped Maggie lay back on the bed, before she held up her index finger. ‘Follow my finger…okay, that’s it. Thank you.’

Maggie nestled back into the pillow. ‘Is everything okay?’

‘Everything looks okay but I’m still keeping you under observation.’

‘In here?’

Alex shook her head. ‘At home. You know that place where we were supposed to spend our whole day off, together?’ She sighed. ‘God, all I wanted was just one day off with you. Why, why was that too much to ask for?’

‘’Cause the world sucks?’

‘Well, yeah, basically,’ Alex nodded in agreement as she ran fingers through Maggie’s hair until a knock at the door of the private exam room pulled them out of their own little world.

It was J’onn. ‘I don’t mean to interrupt but there’s been some, uh, advancements in the situation.’

‘Advancements?’ Alex echoed.

‘Yes,’ J’onn confirmed as he came over to the two of them, firstly nodding at Maggie. ‘Are you okay?’

‘A little bit dizzy but I will be. Especially with Alex looking after me.’

J’onn smiled before his expression reverted to a serious one. ‘First of all, you’ll be glad to know that we caught your two assailants.’

‘That sounds as if it sound be good news but I suspect it isn’t,’ Alex said.

J’onn continued. ‘They weren’t the brains of the operation, as illustrated by how they parked a hundred yards away from the apartment block, right next to a security camera. Winn tracked them down to a local fast food place and our men grabbed them whilst they were eating burgers.’

‘Are they talking?’

‘No, and I’ve read their minds and they know very little. Except for two things – the name of their target and their target’s address.’

‘Kara, right?’ Alex asked but she knew, _knew_ that if it was that straightforward, her boss would have just said it. The pit in her stomach only grew as he confirmed what she suspected.

‘They had the wrong address. Right surname, wrong address. They’re after _you_ , Alex.’


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support so far!! x

They weren’t taking any chances. DEO Agents were deployed to both Danvers’ residences, as well as one to Maggie’s and one was also sent to keep a watch over Mama Danvers. Safety and family went hand in hand, and they both came first. Which was why Alex and Maggie were spending the night at the DEO. Maggie needed to rest and it was the safest place.

However, it was by no means the most convenient, something that Alex quickly learned as she paced the living quarters pouting. ‘Why would they screw the beds to the goddamn floor?’

‘To stop their agents from screwing each other?’

‘I don’t wanna screw, I just wanna cuddle.’

‘I told you,’ Maggie patted the space on the single bed that she occupied. ‘There’s more than enough room. Get in.’

Alex was still hesitant, still concerned. ‘You’re still sore, I don’t want to hurt you.’

‘You won’t,’ Maggie reassured. ‘Get in.’

Alex lingered for a few more seconds before she sighed and nudged her fiancée’s back, pushing her gently towards the other side of the bed which was tucked up against the wall. ‘Scoot over. If anyone has to fall out, I’d prefer it to be me.’

Maggie let out a contented sigh as Alex climbed in beside her and cuddled into her back. Alex’s hold was always tight but tonight, after the incident in the lobby, it felt a little tighter and for that, Maggie was grateful. She held onto the forearm that was wrapped around her waist. ‘I love you,’ she said, breathlessly.

‘Love you too.’ Alex placed a kiss at the back of her neck before allowing a few peaceful seconds to pass. ‘This is gonna sound terrible, I know, but I’m glad those bastards got the wrong address.’

‘It doesn’t sound terrible. Kara wasn’t in and, even if she was, she’s much more equipped to deal with sudden home invasions than us mere humans are.’

‘No, I didn’t mean just that but, yeah, that as well but if they had broken into my apartment they might have…uh, stolen something.’

‘Can’t live without your TV, Danvers?’

‘Not that, I,’ Alex took a deep breath and went for it. ‘I bought you a ring, a couple of days ago.’

‘You did, huh?’ Maggie couldn’t help but smile, couldn’t help but picture a diamond ring on her finger. Then it would start to feel real and not like some wonderful dream. That was how much marrying Alex meant to her. Just hours ago, she’d been assaulted and found out someone was after the woman she loved, possibly her too, and yet her life could still never have been any better because she was engaged to the love of her life.

‘Yes.’

_A lifetime of firsts_ with the love of her life. She couldn’t contain her smile, let alone her own revelation. ‘Alright, if we’re announcing stuff like that then I better tell you that I bought you one too. A week ago.’

‘Once this is all over and I don’t have a target on my back, do you want to make it official?’

Maggie didn’t hesitate. ‘Yes.’

A pause. Then, ‘Can I get down on one knee and give you a much better proposal than my first one?’

‘If you want,’ Maggie let out a small laugh and, again, there was another slight lull. ‘Can, can I propose to you too?’

‘You can but I might say no.’

Maggie snorted. ‘Shut it.’

‘Make me.’

‘Not in this bed or in this state, sorry,’ Maggie grinned. ‘I can’t wait to marry you.’

Alex placed gentle kisses along her shoulder. ‘The feeling is mutual.’

‘I never thought I would get married.’

The kisses ceased and there was a tinge of sadness in Alex’s words. ‘We aren’t married yet.’

‘Don’t talk like that.’

‘Sorry, but there’s at least one creep with henchman after me right now--.’

‘And I will take them down one by one because, like I said, nothing is going to stop me from marrying you. I wasn’t expecting that son of a bitch tonight. He blindsided me but, next time, I’ll be ready.’

Somehow, Alex found a way to make her hold even tighter and even more loving. ‘I love it when you’re feisty.’

‘Then you’re gonna love it when I get my hands on the bastard responsible.’

 

/ / /

 

The first order of business that morning was a quick onceover by her fiancée.

Once given the all clear, the second order of business was finding some clothes to change into as going back to their apartments was, for now, out of the question.

‘Suits you.’ The two words were restrained but the smirk on Alex’s face said it all. Maggie in the DEO’s all black was a sight in itself. But Maggie in a formfitting polo shirt, snug pants and heavy boots was a sight that was already driving Alex absolutely crazy.

‘You think?’

‘Oh definitely. You’re missing something though. Stay there,’ Alex said, headed towards the lockers. She paused momentarily to add, ‘Oh, and close your eyes.’

Maggie did as she was told, folding her arms across her chest as she waited. She gasped as a hand slipped between her legs from behind. ‘Alex! You know I’m down for--.’

‘Relax,’ Alex grinned as she fastened the holster around her fiancée’s thigh. ‘I’m all business at work. And anyway, that door doesn’t have a lock.’

Maggie looked down at her new piece of uniform. ‘I don’t get a gun?’

‘You can pick yourself something nice from the armoury. Gun only though, no flash grenades.’

‘One day,’ Maggie sighed.

‘Maybe as a wedding present,’ Alex winked.

The detective’s new look did not go unnoticed as they gathered around the debriefing table.

‘Matching outfits now? You’re officially _that_ couple,’ Winn laughed.

‘You fit right in,’ J’onn nodded.

Maggie nodded back in response. ‘Thanks, but will all due respect this is just temporary. I’ll be wearing more colour once this is all over.’

‘More colour?’ Alex scoffed. ‘Please, the only colours you own are black, grey and white.’

‘I have a maroon sweater.’

‘Yeah, and twenty grey ones too.’

Maggie rolled her eyes. ‘Anyway, where are we in regards to this whole mess?’

‘Nowhere, really,’ J’onn said. ‘We have the men in holding but they they’ve been mindwiped. They only know about Alex, what they assumed was Alex’s address and their orders.’

‘Which were?’

‘Bug the apartment. They were at the mailboxes to check if they had the correct address.’

‘What about names? Do they have names?’ Maggie asked.

Winn nodded. ‘Jeffrey West and Thomas Bryan. We ran their fingerprints through the NCPD database. They have priors for burglary.’

‘Within the last three years by any chance?’

‘Yeah,’ Winn replied. ‘You know them?’

‘I worked burglary before I moved to homicides. Those names were banded about a lot in our department. I actually think I arrested one of them.’ Thomas Bryan, the bastard who had snuck up on her, used to have a full head of hair and a clean-shaven chin. Unrecognisable until the mention of his name brought back the memories of seeing his mugshot plastered all over her precinct. ‘Might not be there anymore, but he used to have a hideout down by Westfield.’

‘It’s not like we have any other leads right now,’ J’onn shrugged. ‘You and Alex should go check it out. That is, if you’re up to it.’

Her head still hurt but she was steady on two feet. She was good. ‘Just a scratch. And besides, it’s about my fi--.’ She managed to stop and correct herself at the first syllable, even if her correction was horrifically cringeworthy. ‘—ne ass girlfriend. They’ll have to do a lot more than what they did last night to stop me.’

J’onn clicked at the correction and smiled. The others didn’t.

‘ _Fine ass girlfriend_?’ Winn frowned. ‘Are you sure you’re okay?’

‘Have you see my girlfriend? She is fine ass, so evidently my thoughts are lucid,’ Maggie said, earning herself an affectionate shoulder nudge and smile from Alex.

‘Alright, alright, just wanting to make sure,’ Winn muttered, retreating to his desk.

‘Do you need any assistance?’ Kara asked.

Alex shook her head. ‘No, but we’ll call you if we need you.’

Kara smiled and nodded and said no more as Alex and Maggie left to head to the industrial district.

‘ _Fine ass girlfriend?_ ’ Alex teased.

Maggie couldn’t help but laugh. ‘Hey c’mon. I was punched in the face last night. Cut me some slack.’

 

/ / /

 

They parked up beside the abandoned storage unit and Maggie had instantly nodded. ‘This place brings back some memories.’

The door was locked.

Maggie kicked it in, happily. ‘Wonder how they’ll like having their place ransacked?’

Alex smiled. ‘God, I love you.’

Inside, the heavy metal shelves were lined with items. Kara’s TV, Nintendo Wii and other assorted items, were found close to a desk. Maggie powered up the laptop that sat on it and, unsurprisingly found it password protected. ‘We’ll take this back to the DEO. Anything else noteworthy around here?’

‘How about this?’ Alex said, holding up a phone. ‘This isn’t password protected.’

‘Burner cells typically aren’t. Who have they been calling?’

‘Just one number.’

‘I wonder who that could--.’ Maggie’s dry response was cut off as Alex who had the burner cell in one hand, began keying in a number on her own phone, in the other. ‘What are you doing?’

Alex held the phone up to her ear. ‘Shush, it’s ringing.’

‘You can’t be serious,’ Maggie hissed.

But her fiancée was serious, incredibly serious and her voice was low and calm as the person on the other end answered. ‘Hello, this is Alex Danvers. I heard you were looking for me?’

Maggie could do nothing but roll her eyes.

‘You know, for someone who sent men after me, you don’t seem to know me well enough to know that this is actually me.’

‘Wow,’ Maggie muttered to herself.

‘Oh c’mon. Thomas Bryan and Jeffrey West? Yeah, act like you don’t know them. I got this number from one of their phones, so you’re just embarrassing yourself right now.’

The situation was so absurd, Maggie could do nothing but supress a laugh as the conversation continued.

‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. Listen, do yourself a favour and hand yourself in before I find you. Otherwise, it’s not going to end well for you. Okay? Alright, bye bye.’ She ended the call and shook her head.

‘ _Bye bye_?’

‘I know, I know, I hated myself for saying that too but I needed one more second.’

‘For what, more pleasantries with whoever is after you?’

‘For this baby to trace the call,’ she grinned, shaking her phone. ‘It’s DEO tech. It automatically traces every call; it just needs thirty seconds to establish a connection and--.’ As if by magic, Alex’s phone buzzed with a message. She opened it immediately. ‘We have an address. You drive and I’ll call the DEO so we can nail this bastard before lunchtime.’

 

/ / /

 

The address was on the outskirts of town, a good half hour drive away. They were meeting Kara, J’onn and a DEO tactical team a block away from the location to strategize before launching an attack. In the meantime, they were enjoying the drive.

Alex had cracked the window open and was resting her head against the headrest as she watched Maggie at the wheel. She couldn’t help but smile. ‘So if we get this guy, how about tonight?’ Alex asked, at the midpoint of their journey as they drove through backroads just past the city limits.

‘What about tonight?’

‘We make it official?’

‘Okay,’ Maggie answered and broke out into a wide smile.

Alex beamed. ‘You should see the ring I got you. I think you’re gonna like it.’

‘I’m sure I’m gonna _love_ it.’

‘I hope it fits. I’m kinda nervous that it won’t fit.’ She’d never bought a ring for anyone else before, let alone an engagement ring. She’d spent hours in different jewellers trying to find _the one_ for _her one_. It had been stressful but she found a band with a sole diamond that just screamed Maggie and bought it, without once questioning the high price tag.

‘Babe, don’t worry about things like that. If it doesn’t fit, we can get it resized.’

‘I know, I know but I just want to see it on your finger, you know?’

‘I know,’ Maggie nodded, taking her eyes briefly off the road to meet Alex’s. ‘I feel exactly the--.’

Maggie was cut off as their vehicle viciously jolted forward, rammed from behind.

‘The hell?’

Before she had time to recover, a white van was shooting up beside them and swerved violently into Alex’s side of the car. Maggie had nearly caught it in time, turning the wheel to avoid the hit but it, if anything, only made it worse. The speed they were travelling at had been fast, but legal. However, combined with the sudden turn and the collision, was enough to make the car flip and roll violently down the steep verge to the left.

Their black 4x4 only ceased rolling once it hit a thick tree trunk.


	4. Chapter 4

Their 4x4 was lying on its roof.

The windscreen had shattered and the windows on both front doors had smashed too. Glass was everywhere accompanied by the horrific smell of gas.

After the initial hit, Alex’s body had kicked into fight mode, bracing itself for any more bumps. Physically she felt fine; adrenaline held off the pain at least for now. The force of which she turned to check on Maggie, however, was enough to cause whiplash.

‘ _Maggie_.’

If it weren’t for the seatbelt, Maggie would’ve been lying in a crumpled heap. Instead, her body hung limply in the driver’s seat. The stitches on her temple had burst and blood was running down her cheek. A piece of glass was lodged in her thigh. She didn’t respond to her name.

Alex’s pulse quickened and her voice was now a plea as she reached out to gently touch her fiancée’s face. ‘Maggie?’

After the longest of seconds, Maggie groaned. ‘Shit.’

Alex could breathe a little easier. ‘I’m getting us out of here, alright?’

‘I smell--.’

‘I do too. It’s okay, I’m on it,’ Alex said as her eyes swept the car, looking for the quickest escape route before she turned back to her girl. ‘Shield your face.’

She waited until Maggie had covered her face with her arms before she kicked out what was left of the windscreen. She unbuckled her seat belt and muttered expletives as her hands landed on glass. She fought through the discomfort as she inched over to Maggie.

‘I’m unfastening your seat belt but I’m gonna catch you, okay?’

Maggie nodded.

Landing on Alex was the kindest possible landing but Maggie still cursed in pain. Alex got out via where the windscreen once was, first, before she gently pulled Maggie out and helped her to her feet. ‘I’ve got you, it’s okay,’ Alex said softly as she walked her fiancée to the back of the vehicle. She popped the trunk, grabbed a black backpack of medical supplies and a bottle of water. ‘We need to find somewhere to hide before they--.’

She was cut off by the sound of approaching footsteps and voices. She had Maggie on one shoulder and the rucksack on the other as she unholstered her gun.

‘We need to move.’

‘Leave me,’ Maggie mumbled.

Alex shook her head. ‘Not a chance.’

‘I can barely walk; I’m just slowing you down.’

‘I’m not leaving you,’ Alex’s voice was firm, perhaps a little too loud given their predicament. ‘There’s no way that I’m leaving you. You’re my fiancée and I love you. We’re ride or die, remember?’

The words made Maggie smile ever so slightly. ‘Okay, okay. But I can’t move very fast.’

‘That’s okay. Once we find somewhere safe, I’ll take a look at your leg. In the meantime, can you call for help?’

‘My phone’s in the car.’

They were only a few metres away but it was too much of a risk to go back. ‘Hold this,’ Alex said, passing her gun to Maggie so she could use her one free hand to reach for her phone. She found it and her heart sank. It was smashed beyond repair; unable to turn on, let alone make a phone call. ‘ _Shit_.’

‘So much for DEO tech.’

Alex kept moving. ‘It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ve got my--.’ Then it hit her and another thread of hope that she was clinging on to, snapped.

‘Got your what?’

‘Subdermal tracker,’ Alex replied soberly. ‘Or I should’ve. I was supposed to get my replacement one fitted a couple of weeks ago. Then Daxamites decided to try and take over the world and minor surgery kinda wasn’t a priority.’

Maggie sighed. ‘Don’t tell your sister that I said this, but I’m real glad that her boyfriend got booted into space, because if I had to see another Daxamite anytime soon, I would not be responsible for my actions.’

‘Yeah, don’t worry, I feel the same--.’

‘Over there!’

Alex did an immediate one-eighty at the voice, shooting without hesitation at the sight of primed assault rifles. Two bullets. Two headshots. Two men dead. Her gut told her that they weren’t the only ones on their tail and the sound of gunfire would only draw them out quicker. And Maggie was right; she was slowing them down. Alex had no other option but to start her preparation for their nuptials now. She scooped Maggie up, bridal style. ‘We need to find somewhere to lay low.’

 

/ / /

 

They found an abandoned building, a five-minute walk away.

Given they were on the outskirts of some woods, it looked like it might have been an old ranger station years ago. The windows were boarded up and the outside concrete walls were covered with graffiti. The door was metal, heavy and rusting but, thankfully, unlocked. There was just one room inside and it offered little clues as to what it once was, but it had a red tattered couch. It was enough.

Alex eased Maggie down onto the two-seater and zipped open the backpack. ‘I’m gonna take a look at that leg first but what else hurts?’

‘What doesn’t hurt?’ Maggie grimaced as she rested her head against the dirty armrest.

Instead of chide her for her vagueness, Alex went for a different approach. ‘Does anything else particularly hurt?’

‘Just the leg. The rest I can live with.’

Alex nodded in understanding and set about unbuckling her fiancée’s belt, something that made Maggie laugh. ‘Care to share?’

‘I was just thinking that this is, strangely, not the weirdest place that a girl’s taken my pants off.’

‘Yeah?’ Alex arched an intrigued brow. ‘What’s the weirdest?’

‘There’s been a few. Though, probably, the library on my college camp--.’ She inhaled sharply at the very gentle way Alex pulled down the snug black cargo pants. Alex was immediately apologetic but Maggie waved off all the _sorrys_. ‘Babe, it’s okay. I know you don’t want to hurt me. I trust you.’

Alex still smiled sympathetically. ‘This will hurt.’

‘I know.’

‘I don’t have drugs but,’ she yanked Maggie’s belt free. ‘I do have a month’s worth of wilderness survival training.’

‘As part of your DEO training or did you just do it for fun?’

‘Actually, now that you mention it, Kara did get us lost in IKEA once so technically I have a month and four hours’ worth of wilderness survival training.’

‘Just four hours? You got out there quickly.’

‘Maybe, but it felt like an eternity. Bite down on this for me.’

Maggie took the belt between her teeth. The leather muffled her groans as Alex cleansed the wound with a wipe. The groans grew louder as started stitching.

‘You’re doing good. You’re doing real good.’

It was a small wound, only needing half a dozen stitches to close it, but without anaesthetic, it must’ve seemed like major surgery. Alex felt just as relieved it was over as Maggie looked as she cut the thread free, before she wrapped gauze around the thigh.

‘All done, babe,’ Alex said, reaching up to place gentle kisses on Maggie’s forehead. ‘All done.’

The belt dropped onto Maggie’s chest. ‘Not quite.’

Alex gave a small nod before she repeated the process again, her fingers shaking considerably more at the delicacy required to close the cut on Maggie’s temple, a tender area even when numb. Once done, she cleaned the blood off Maggie’s face with the bottle of water, before offering it to her to drink.

Maggie was hesitant. ‘We might need to make that last.’

‘We’re only a few miles outta town. We’re not in the middle of nowhere,’ Alex reasoned.

‘We might as well be. There’s men with guns after us.’

‘After _me_ ,’ Alex corrected.

‘Yeah, well, we come as a pair now. They’re after both of us,’ Maggie said, taking the smallest of sips from the bottle before she sighed. ‘What are we gonna do?’

‘Right now? Nothing,’ Alex said with a sigh. ‘But when we don’t meet up with Kara and J’onn, they’ll send out a search party.’

‘And what if the other search party finds us first?’

‘Let’s not think about that.’

‘Babe, it’s a very real possibility. We aren’t too far away from the car and this is the first building we found. They are going to find us. We can’t stay here,’ Maggie stated the obvious, the unavoidable truth. ‘You should make a break for it. Go get help.’

‘I’ve told you, I’m not leaving you.’

‘We’re sitting ducks if we stay--.’

They were already sitting ducks.

Alex threw herself on top of Maggie as a spray of bullets ripped through the plywood that covered the empty window panes. They had mere seconds now.

‘There’s a closet over there. We could hide in it,’ Alex whispered.

‘The irony.’ Cop humour. A coping mechanism when things turned to shit. ‘Babe, there’s no time.’

‘There’s--.’

Another flurry of lead tore through the wood and, again, Alex shielded Maggie with her body and continued to do so as the front door was kicked in. Two men with carbine rifles led the charge. Another followed with a Glock. He was the one that spoke. ‘Get on your knees and do not attempt to make any sudden moves.’

‘You should’ve just run,’ Maggie muttered under her breath.

‘Are you for real?’

‘Ladies,’ the man said calmly. ‘I don’t want to tell you twice.’

‘Me neither, I’m already sick of your voice,’ Maggie groaned, pushing herself off the couch and onto the floor, onto her knees, hands raised. She nudged Alex with an elbow and, begrudgingly, she did the same.

A heavy came up to them both and secured their wrists behind them with handcuffs, whilst the head honcho spoke into an earpiece. ‘We’ve got her. She’s with another one though. Do you want her too?’ A few seconds passed and he took a few steps closer, eyes fixed on Maggie. ‘She’s smaller, about five foot three, dark hair, big brown eyes…oh, that’s the girlfriend? Yeah, we’ll definitely bring her as well.’

Like how it hadn’t been her first car crash, it had definitely not been her first kidnapping either. Or drugging. Just a couple of weeks ago, Rick Malverne had moved quick in the elevator to put her in a chokehold and inject her with a sedative. Kidnappings, druggings…Alex could deal with them. What she couldn’t deal with, was seeing them force her fiancée onto the ground and sink a needle into her neck. ‘Hey! Hey, what are you doing to her?’

Maggie whimpered as she slumped to the ground whilst Alex was pushed back down to her knees, as the man smirked. ‘Don’t worry sweetheart. It’s your turn now.’


	5. Chapter 5

A part of her had been waiting for this, for the rug to suddenly be pulled from beneath her feet. The perfect job, the perfect fiancée, the perfect apartment that she was soon to be moving into, officially, with said fiancée…it had all seemed to good to be true.

The universe never allowed her to be this happy. Never.

And now she wasn’t. Now she was scared because she had woke in a dimly lit and cold concrete room, uncomfortably handcuffed to a chair and her fiancée, her _perfect_ fiancée was nowhere to be seen. Her perfect fiancée could be alive, waking up to a similar fate, or her perfect fiancée could be dead.

The thought of dying didn’t scare her. It had always been an occupational hazard, one that she accepted the day that she had sworn to protect the city. If it happened, it happened.

The thought of losing Alex though? That terrified her.

She knew she wanted to marry Alex just weeks into their relationship. Alex was always different. Not because she was _fresh off the boat_ but because Alex, first and foremost, cared for her. Some girls had wanted her for her body, other girls had wanted her because she seemed like a laugh. Regardless of their reasons, they all backed off when they realized just how broken she was.

Alex had stepped up.

Alex was perfect.

And now, weirdly, Alex was alive and was stepping through the door of her apparent cell, carrying a tray that contained two sandwiches and a can of _Coke_. She smiled as she approached, coming to a stop and crouching at Maggie’s feet. ‘Hey you.’ The calm nature of her voice only compounded Maggie’s confusion.

‘Alex?’

Alex cracked the can open and held it to Maggie’s lips. ‘Here.’

Maggie shook her head, rejecting it. ‘What is going on?’

‘You need to drink, you need sugar in your system.’

‘I need to know what the hell is going on.’

Alex said nothing and put the can down. ‘You must be hungry, at least. You gotta eat, you need to.’

‘ _Alex_.’

And then the cracks finally began to show in the weird façade, as Alex’s voice trembled and broke all in the space of one word. ‘Please?’ Tears shimmered in her eyes and the pieces of bread fell from her hand and onto the tray. ‘Damnit,’ she muttered.

All Maggie wanted to do was reach out and cup Alex’s cheeks. ‘Are you okay? Have they hurt you?’

Alex looked away, looked down at the ground as her knuckles whitened. Her voice was barely a whisper. ‘I have to do everything they say or they will hurt you.’

Maggie’s heart broke. ‘Don’t. Don’t do this. Don’t give into them. Whatever they want--.’

‘Listen to me,’ Alex said, finally meeting Maggie’s eyes and resting her hands on Maggie’s knees. ‘You, you are the most important thing in my life. They know that and I, I can hardly deny it. If I do what they say, then there might be a chance for us. If I don’t, they will kill you and they won’t care because they still have me. I am what they want. To them, you are just expendable.’

‘Alex--.’

Alex leaned forward to kiss Maggie’s forehead and her lips lingered there for a few moments before she pulled back, teary eyed and pleaded. ‘Please, eat. Just in case their hospitality doesn’t last.’

 

/ / /

 

In the fifteen minutes she had been allowed with her fiancée, rage had been building in her veins. It came to a boiling point as an armed goon forced her to leave.

She swung wildly at a wall the second that Maggie was out of sight, collapsing to her knees. The hit hurt but her heart was hurting worse.

She’d never felt so helpless before.

‘Agent Danvers.’ The head kidnapper, a mercenary with an English accent, grinned as he approached her, his hand always at his holster, just in case. ‘You did good in there.’

Alex looked up at him with angry eyes and said nothing.

He crouched down beside her. ‘The bossman is on his way. He’s excited to finally meet you, and start working with you.’

_Working with you_. The words made her feel sick to her stomach. She wasn’t sure how she was going to get out of this if Kara or J’onn couldn’t come to their rescue. ‘The feeling is not mutual,’ she muttered.

‘It should be. We’ve discussed what will happen if you don’t help us.’

_They start on Maggie_.

‘Love, huh?’ The merc said, reaching out to stroke Alex’s cheek.

She batted his hand away. ‘Ground rules--.’

‘Easy, princess. _Ground rules_? What position are _you_ in to make ground rules? Nobody, not even your beloved Kryptonian sister knows where you are. How could you possibly think that you have any power?’

‘Because I’m willing to cooperate if you don’t hurt her. You start hurting her, I’ll stop helping you. If you kill her, you might as well kill me too.’

He shrugged. ‘You know, you can always find another person to love.’

‘You’ve just proved my theory that no one has ever loved you.’

He sneered. ‘Alright, fine. Humour me. What ‘ground rules’ are you proposing?’

‘One, you never lay a damn finger on her. And two, you don’t keep her chained up like a goddamn animal. She’s smart, just as smart as me, maybe more so. She can help.’

It was worth a shot, even if he did see through it. ‘And have the two of you trying to take us out? That’ll be right. You think I’m stupid?’

Alex shrugged. ‘I think your boss is stupid. I don’t have as much authority as he clearly thinks that I do.’

‘You’re one of the highest-ranking humans within a top-secret government agency, who also has a lot to lose. I think you were a wise choice. Plus, your bioengineering background is pretty damn impressive.’

Alex narrowed her eyes. ‘What exactly is it that you want from me? You still haven’t given me even a hint at an answer.’

‘You’ll--.’ The merc was interrupted by a voice in his earpiece. He nodded, mumbled his thanks before he grabbed Alex’s arm and hauled her to her feet. ‘You’re gonna find out right now. He’s here.’


	6. Chapter 6

It had very quickly become apparent that something was wrong when Alex and Maggie didn’t show. Neither answered their phones and any calls to Alex didn’t even ring out, they went straight to voicemail.

The raid on the address they’d gathered at went ahead as planned but, after the latest developments, it surprised no one that it had been a decoy. They returned to the DEO empty-handed, one agent and one NCPD detective less.

They then searched the warehouse that Alex and Maggie had initially went to, as well as the immediate surrounding area and found nothing. They also covered the main routes between the warehouse and the meeting point but, again, it was to no avail.

Alex and Maggie had now been missing for three hours.

Hope was dwindling by the hour but they were far from giving up the search as J’onn, Kara, Winn and a bunch of other DEO agents gathered around the Intel table, figuring out what avenue to explore next – literally, they were discussing avenues.

‘What’s Maggie like, as a driver?’ J’onn asked.

‘Uh…she doesn’t use GPS. She said that she’d rather get lost than be told what to do,’ Kara replied, thinking back on the handful of occasions that she’d been in the backseat of Maggie’s sedan. ‘She hates getting stuck in traffic, or at traffic lights. She prefers shortcuts.’

J’onn turned to Winn. ‘When we last heard from Alex, she said they were a half hour away. Look for all routes avoiding main roads that would’ve gotten them from A to B in that timeframe. There can’t be that many.’

‘On it,’ Winn nodded, dashing over to his workspace.

‘And you, Kara?’

She looked up at her name, her shoulders tense and her expression pained as her mind constantly alternated between distant and determined. ‘Yeah?’

‘Come here,’ J’onn gestured with strong open arms, arms that Kara walked right into. He rubbed her back soothingly as she fought back tears. ‘We are going to find them.’

‘This keeps happening,’ Kara mumbled into his shoulder.

He gently pried her away, so he could meet her gaze. ‘And we’ll keep finding her. And Maggie, too.’

‘Alex,’ Kara rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, ‘Alex would’ve had a normal life if it wasn’t for me.’

There was no way J’onn Jonzz was going to allow the girl he considered a daughter to think like that. No way. ‘It was your fault that you crashed to Earth and were adopted by the Danvers? No, I didn’t think so. And even if it was, without you, Alex would never have met Maggie and those two? Those two are made for each other. They’re soulmates. And right now, wherever they are, they’re fighting for each other and they are not going down without a fight.’

Kara nodded in agreement, a faint smile on her lips. ‘They are…you should hear how Alex talks about her.’

‘I’m psychic, Kara. I _know_ how she thinks about her. And sometimes, I know a little too much for my liking.’

Kara let out a small laugh. ‘I can guess--.’

‘First two routes calculated!’ Winn called from across the room. 

J’onn rested his hand on Kara’s shoulder. ‘Go. Go bring them back.’

/ / /

The bossman? The man who had been so determined to get his hands on her? A wiry blonde guy by the name of Miles Tanner.

Alex was already well acquainted with him.

For the last four years, he had been on a government watch list. The man had become a millionaire at just twenty-seven, inheriting his daddy’s automobile empire. However, Tanner Junior had no interest in cars. He preferred guns and his money had bought him a lot of them, illegally, from South America. Money also bought him the best lawyers and he had become untouchable.

A year ago, he had moved to National City and his interests had shifted from black market to extra-terrestrial weaponry. The DEO had been watching him the second his name was linked to a shipment of Kryptonite that sold for a pretty penny. Again, his lawyers had prevented an arrest.

Now, more than ever, Alex was determined to nail this son of a bitch.

‘Sit down, Agent Danvers,’ Tanner gestured at the empty seat in front of his desk.

‘I prefer to stand,’ she replied.

‘And I prefer when women do as they are told,’ he nodded at his men, who forced Alex into the chair. ‘I’ll keep this short. You have access to things that I want. And you’re going to help me get them.’

Alex frowned. ‘You want me to walk into a top-secret government building and steal technology?’ It was so absurd, she had to laugh. ‘You’re even more crazy than I thought you were.’

Tanner’s expression remained serious. ‘You’re crazy if you thought that I would let _you_ do it. We have some men already in place. They will take it.’

‘You have men inside?’

‘Yep. I mean, technically. Of their species, they are indeed male, yes.’

‘Who?’

He shrugged. ‘I don’t know, I didn’t care enough to remember the names of the agents they killed.’

 _Shapeshifters. Killers_. If Maggie’s life wasn’t on the line, she would have jumped over that desk and murdered that son of a bitch right there or, at least, have died trying.

‘What I need from you is a comprehensive list of all the technology that you’re stockpiling. And then your codes to access them.’

‘Is that all?’ Alex said, sarcastically.

‘For now,’ Tanner smirked. ‘Are you on board?’

Alex went quiet. 

Tanner expected her silence, flipping open a laptop to show her a live feed from Maggie’s cell. ‘Haven’t heard a yes yet, Agent Danvers. Maybe you need more persuading.’

She went to protest but an arm put her in a chokehold. It was hard to breathe, let alone speak and she could only watch as her fiancée was pistol whipped not once, but twice.

‘Say yes and we’ll leave her be,’ Tanner said calmly. The brute onscreen had his arm raised, ready to strike for a third time as Maggie whimpered in front of him.

‘Okay, okay,’ Alex spluttered.

‘I need a _yes_ , Agent Danvers.’

She didn’t hesitate; she couldn’t hesitate. ‘Yes.’

‘Good girl,’ Tanner smirked before he tapped a key, ‘Stand down.’

The man left the cell, leaving Maggie slumped over in her chair. She was tough but there was only so much that she could take. Everyone had their breaking point. Alex’s was her. ‘I need to talk to her again.’

‘Not happening.’

‘Please.’ The voice that came out of her was so small, so weak, so desperate. ‘She needs to know that I’m going to cooperate with you. Let me, please, and I won’t ask any more questions, I promise.’

Tanner narrowed his eyes, weighing it up before he nodded. ‘Two minutes. No more. Then you’ll start betraying your country.’

/ / /

Kara found it on the second route Winn had calculated.

Her heart sank as she landed by the wrecked and empty 4x4 and her voice was shaky as she reported back. ‘I found their car. It’s totalled and they’re, they’re not here. And there’s blood.’

Nearby she found the bullet casings.

‘Shots were fired.’

She kept searching the area, eventually finding the small building that they had sheltered in. Walls were covered in bulletholes, Alex’s rucksack lay beside a couch that was stained with blood but, worst of all was the fact that was all there was. There were no leads, no conceivable next step as to discovering Alex and Maggie’s whereabouts - nothing.

The only thing that the Girl of Steel could do was punch a hole through a concrete wall in frustration.

/ / /

She wasn’t sure if she’d ever see her fiancée again. Yet to see her so soon, especially after her beating had stopped as abruptly as it had commenced meant only one thing. ‘Please tell me you’re not.’

Alex dodged answering as she took hold of Maggie’s face, her gentle hands and eyes taking in the fresh welts and cuts. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she whispered.

‘You’re doing this, aren’t you?’

‘I have no choice.’

‘You’re compromising everything that you stand for. You were willing to die for the DEO in that tank.’

‘That’s right. _I_ was. But this isn’t about me, Maggie. It’s about _you_ ,’ Alex’s voice shook as she added, ‘They _will_ kill you.’

‘It’s part of the--.’

‘No, no, taking a bullet on the street is part of your job. You’re a cop, a liaison to the DEO. What all this is about is way, way above your clearance level. This has absolutely nothing to do with you and I’m not letting you die for this.’

‘So, what? You want to spend the rest of your life in prison, risk the lives of your friends, your colleagues?’

Her fiancée looked down at the ground.

‘Alex?’ Maggie’s voice was firm.

Alex looked up, smiled and embraced her, her lips touching Maggie’s ear as she whispered. ‘I’m going to try and figure out a way to buy us more time.’

Maggie mumbled into Alex’s shoulder. ‘What if you can’t?’

‘I’ll get you out of here, I promise. And we _will_ have that wedding.’

Heavy kicks against the metal door echoed throughout the room. ‘Your new job starts in ten seconds, Agent Danvers,’ came a familiar English brogue.

‘I love you,’ Alex said as she pulled away, not before a tender kiss. ‘I love you so much.’

‘Date’s over,’ the mercenary growled as he entered. Alex’s eyes never left Maggie’s as she was pulled away, out of sight, to do God knows what.

The door to her cell was about to close again, encasing her in near darkness and complete isolation. ‘Hey, asshole. Hey!’ She yelled at the guard.

‘What?’ He snarled.

‘I need the bathroom,’ Maggie answered.

‘So?’

‘I can hardly go here.’

‘Then hold it.’

‘Forever? That’s not possible.’

The guard shrugged. ‘Then go.’

‘It’ll start smelling. _You’ll_ start smelling. Do you want that? Does your buddy, the King of England want that? C’mon, it’s not like I’m in much of a position to try anything, is it?’ Her leg still ached, her temples throbbed and she was unarmed and outnumbered. Trying something, anything, would be a huge risk.

He seemed to realise that too, nodding as he came over to free her to escort her to some no doubt dingy bathroom. ‘Try anything and you’re dead.’

/ / /

They took her to room that had nothing but a chair, a desk and pen and paper.

The English merc gestured to the chair. ‘Get to work. Enlighten us as to what the DEO has to offer.’

Begrudgingly, Alex sat. Her mind wandered to the future, if she even had one beyond this abduction. One word on that notepad could constitute a lifetime behind bars for treason. A part of her knew that as long as things worked out, as long as these sons of bitches were put in jail with no casualties or harm to the city, J’onn would have her back and would try to ensure that she’d be spared prison but that couldn’t be guaranteed - Maggie’s fate, however, would if she didn’t help them.

Her stomach churned as she picked up the pen.

Lying would buy her some time but not much. A lie was risky.

The truth was risky.

She wasn’t entirely sure what she was going to do as her hand moved to write. Fortunately, she was interrupted before she put pen to paper as one of the hired muscle burst into the room, panicked.

‘Sir, we have a problem.’

The merc narrowed his eyes. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘The girlfriend collapsed. She’s unresponsive.’


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the support on this fic! I've loved seeing your responses and appreciate all the love you've shown me! x

_‘The girlfriend collapsed. She’s unresponsive.’_

The words had made Alex jump to her feet, and her heart hammer. Her voice was loud, angry but void of any surprise. ‘What have done to her?’

The merc’s tone was just as aggrieved as he growled at his minion. ‘Yeah, what have you done?’

His minion stammered. ‘N-nothing she, she just collapsed I swear.’

‘I’m a doctor, let me see her,’ Alex demanded.

‘I don’t--,’ the merc started.

Alex cut him off, speaking with complete sincerity. ‘If she dies then you can just kill me.’

The man was a lot of things but he wasn’t completely stupid. Maggie was his bargaining chip, his _only_ bargaining chip. He stepped back, even gave Alex a shove towards the exit. ‘Go.’

The guard led her back to the cell, where Maggie was laying face down and, terrifyingly, still.

Alex dropped to her knees and gently rolled Maggie over. ‘Babe,’ she whispered as her fingers went straight to her carotid.

Her pulse? Strong.

Breathing? Fine.

Responsive when Alex took hold of her hand? Subtly so, with her thumb ever so slightly grazing the back of Alex’s hand. An imperceptible touch to anyone else, but not to Alex. That same touch on their first date, when Maggie had taken Alex’s hand in hers on their way to some restaurant uptown, had sent Alex’s heart a flutter. It still did. Now, it also gave her hope.

That is, if it wasn’t just a cruel trick of her mind. She had to be sure, so she gently squeezed Maggie’s hand.

After the longest three seconds of her life, there it was, again. The smallest of touches.

_Maggie Sawyer, you brilliant, beautiful being._

Alex kept her joy at bay, kept her voice shaky and desperate. ‘We need to move her.’

The merc stood over them, arms folded across his chest. ‘What’s wrong with her?’

‘I don’t know. But I can’t just let her lay here.’

‘Alright,’ he nodded. ‘There’s a couch in the backroom. Move her there and try to bring her round. I’ll go let the bossman know what’s up.’

He left, leaving the other guard to help Alex carry her fiancée through a dark corridor to an equally as dim room that smelt of damp. They lowered Maggie down onto a brown leather couch. It was just the three of them. Two versus one. Now was their chance.

Alex hovered by Maggie’s legs, pretending to busy herself by examining the wounded right leg. ‘Is there anything to elevate her head with?’

The guard glanced around the room, spotting a rolled-up blanket and retrieved it. Alex pounced as he went to slip it under Maggie’s head, locking him in a sleeper hold.

He went limp in seconds.

‘Impressive, Danvers,’ Maggie grinned as she swung her legs off the couch.

Alex reached for the unconscious man’s gun. ‘Me? More like you. You’re a genius, you know that?’

‘We’re not out of this yet.’

‘No, we’re not but we will be, soon,’ Alex said as she spared a second to kiss her fiancée before it was back to business and she slipped into a tactical stance, Glock primed. ‘I’ll lead the charge.’

/ / /

They ran into the English merc within seconds of leaving the backroom.

Upon realizing that he’d been duped, he’d ignored Alex’s calls to freeze and had reached for his gun. Alex put him down without any hesitation and handed Maggie his 9mm.

‘You know the way out of here?’

‘Nope,’ Alex remarked, continuing to head down the corridor. ‘Tanner’s office is on the second floor, although since he’ll have heard us now, he’ll either be coming down to meet us or he’ll be running scared.’

‘What do you think he’ll do?’

‘The NCPD aren’t aware of Miles Tanner?’ Alex asked as she peeked around a corner before proceeding.

‘No.’

‘You lucky bastards.’

They ran into a guard as they emerged from the basement. Outnumbered and outarmed, he decided he didn’t want to die for a man like Tanner. Maggie took his cuffs, cuffed him to a pipe and left him.

‘You go right, I’ll go left,’ Maggie said as they entered a large storage room. Visibility was poor, with tall metal shelving and wooden crates dotted around the room.

The poor visibility allowed Tanner to sneak up on Alex with ease.

‘Put the gun down, Agent Danvers.’

Alex did so gradually, feeling the cool metal at the base of her skull. ‘I guess I have to give you some credit you son of a bitch. I thought you’d run.’

Tanner grabbed her to use as a human shield as he proceeded to the end of the room, ensuring there was no chance Maggie could blindside him. He called out to her. ‘I’ll shoot her if you don’t show your face, Detective.’

Maggie emerged from cover at his threat.

‘Drop the weapon Detective or I’ll drop your girl.’

The angles weren’t in her favour. If she fired off a shot and he moved an inch, she could hit Alex. Her risks might have paid off so far but her luck had a limit. ‘Alright,’ she said, slowly raising one hand and bending to place her gun on the ground. ‘You got me.’ Her eyes never left him. She saw him push Alex forward and then pull the trigger.

She grabbed her gun and did the same, multiple times.

Maggie only stopped firing when her clip was empty.

She ran over to her fiancée. ‘ _Alex_.’

‘I’m fi--.’

‘No, no, no, don’t even try that bullshit with me. You’ve been shot.’ _Kneecapped_ _and bleeding profusely._ Maggie unbuckled and slipped off her belt, to use as a tourniquet. Alex cried in pain as it was applied. ‘Sorry, baby. I’m so sorry.’

Maggie moved quick – she had to, after all – and crawled over to Tanner’s body to search his pockets. She returned with what she wanted, and forced the phone into her fiancée’s hand.

‘Call your sister for me,’ she instructed as she clamoured to her feet and scooped Alex up in her arms, eliciting another heartbreaking yelp. ‘It’s okay, I’ve got you,’ Maggie reassured as she made sure that she did, that her hold was secure before she headed towards the exit a few feet ahead.

‘It’s ringing,’ Alex mumbled.

‘Put it on speaker.’ The rings were loud and felt long before the other end crackled and there was a confused _hello_. ‘Kara, it’s Maggie.’

Confusion was now tinged with an enigmatic mix of relief and concern. ‘Maggie, are you--.’

‘No, no, we aren’t okay,’ Maggie said as she shouldered the door. The sun was still out and her eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden light. There was a familiar white van ahead. It would do. ‘Your sister’s been shot. I need you to triangulate this call and find the nearest hospital, okay?’

Silence.

‘ _Kara_?’

‘Yes, yes, sorry Winn’s on it. Is she okay?’

‘I’ve had better Thursdays,’ Alex answered, weakly, as Maggie smashed in the van’s passenger side window with her elbow, hooking her arm around the broken glass to open the door.

‘ _Alex_.’

‘Hey sis. Don’t worry about me, I’m hanging in there. Maggie’s taking care of me.’ Great care, as she gently lowered Alex down onto the seat and buckled her in before she manoeuvred herself over and into the driver’s seat. ‘Fortunately, not in the same manner that she took care of the bastard responsible.’

‘Who was it?’

‘Miles Tanner.’

‘I know that name.’

‘I’d be surprised if you didn’t,’ Alex said, her eyes flicking over to Maggie who had, in mere seconds, successfully hotwired the van and brought the engine to life. ‘You’re a girl of many talents, I see.’

Maggie grinned. ‘Hey, Kara, how are we on the hospital search?’

‘Winn is…he’s found one. You’re five minutes away.’

‘Alright, great. Get him to direct me and I’ll meet you, Kara, there, okay? And alert the hospital that she’s coming.’

/ / /

It was a long five minutes.

Alex had lost consciousness after two, despite Maggie’s best efforts to keep her alert and talking. The pain and blood loss had just been too much to bear. The blood… the blood was everywhere.

Doctors were waiting for her as she slammed the brakes on in the emergency bay. They transferred her from the passenger’s seat to a waiting gurney as Maggie jumped out of the driver’s side and ran to keep up with them as they entered the ER.

Tears shimmered in her eyes but, somehow, she managed to keep it together as she reeled off her fiancée’s details. ‘This is Alex Danvers, she’s twenty-nine and has a GSW to her left knee. The shooting occurred about ten minutes ago, but she only lost consciousness a couple of minutes ago.’

‘And you are?’ A nurse asked.

‘Detective Maggie Sawyer, NCPD.’

The nurse relinquished her hold on the gurney to stop and place a gentle hand on Maggie’s shoulder before they entered the triage zone. ‘Thank you, Detective. We’ve got it from here.’

‘You don’t understand,’ Maggie pleaded. ‘She’s also my fiancée.’

‘And she’s in the best possible hands,’ the nurse said with a kind smile before nodding to someone behind Maggie. ‘Your friend has been waiting for your arrival. Why don’t you go sit with her and I’ll get a doctor to get you checked out, okay?’

_Her friend_. The _friend_ that Maggie hadn’t noticed and had walked right past as her attention had been firmly focussed on Alex. The _friend_ who had heard every word of that exchange with the nurse. Maggie turned to face her.

Kara’s eyes were red and teary but there was a faint smile on her lips. ‘ _Fiancée_?’


	8. Chapter 8

A thousand times she must’ve pictured it.

It would happen in the alien bar, just a few feet away from where they had kissed for the first time. It would be like the night Alex came out to them, the night that they announced they were dating. Maggie would let Alex break the news because Alex deserved to be the one to tell her sister, to tell her friends. Then the next day, it would be Maggie’s turn to make the announcement, to her cop family in the cop bar opposite her precinct.

If only life worked out like that.

Instead, Alex was being rushed into emergency surgery whilst Maggie had inadvertently robbed her fiancée of a moment that she deserved. And instead of the short beautiful speech she had envisaged Alex making, Maggie could only stutter two words. ‘K-kinda, yeah.’

The revelation hung heavy in the air for a few seconds, before Maggie’s body finally succumbed to pain and exhaustion. Kara was quick to catch her as her legs gave way. ‘Hey, can we get some help here? She’s one of National City’s finest and she needs help.’

To Maggie’s surprise, Kara didn’t say anything more about that engagement as she received treatment.

They’d never been best friends. To even classify them as friends was a bit of a stretch. They only ever hung out because of Alex – Alex was the only thing that they had in common. However, the more time they spent alone, just the two of them, the more Maggie grew to like her future sister-in-law. And the way Kara went out of her way to help pushed the youngest Danvers up high in Maggie’s estimation.

She got Maggie coffee and sandwiches, she distracted Maggie when she was getting stitches and, what really made Maggie’s heart swell, was the change of clothes that she flew home to get – an entire ensemble of Alex’s clothes. She did all this without being asked, without even thinking twice.

Maggie was immensely grateful before she was immensely relieved as they got that news that Alex was going to be okay.

Then the engagement questions started.

‘So…fiancées, huh?’

_Fiancée_. When would that seven-letter word not make her heart swell? Probably when it no longer applied to them, then she would have to spend the rest of her life being giddy over just four letters – at _wife_. ‘We were planning on telling you. Tonight, actually but, well, you know.’

Kara’s smile was wide but it was the way she kept staring that asked the question she really wanted to ask. _How long?_

‘Two weeks.’

‘ _Two weeks?_ ’ Kara squeaked.

Sixteen days to be exact. Not that Maggie was counting, or replaying that adorable _marry me_ over and over in her head. Okay she did both, constantly. She couldn’t help it. It still didn’t feel real. ‘Yeah. After the whole Daxamite invasion. On the balcony. Right after you flew away into the night. Guess I should be thanking you because whatever you said to her that night obviously worked,’ Maggie said with a small laugh.

Yet it wasn’t returned.

‘Wait. Did you say something to her?’

Kara just smiled. ‘I told her to never let you go. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to her and she knows that. I know that too and I’m delighted that you’re going to be my sister-in-law.’ Kara pulled Maggie into a tight, long hug.

‘You’re also excited to be your sister’s Maid of Honour, aren’t you?’ Maggie grinned into Kara’s shoulder.

‘Ridiculously excited. I already know of five cake shops that you _must_ try.’

_At least they wouldn’t have to pay for a wedding planner_.

‘Family of Alexandra Danvers?’

Maggie jumped to her feet at the doctor’s voice. ‘Yes?

‘She’s in recovery now if you want to see her.’

/ / /

Fortunately, Miles Tanner had terrible aim.

Alex’s patella was fractured and her ACL was torn but, in the grand scale of things, it could have been a lot worse. Still, she faced at least a week in this place with further surgeries already scheduled and it would be at least six months before there was even a remote chance of her returning to the field. Her recovery was going to be long and it was going to be tough, even for someone as strong physically and mentally as Alex was.

That was then, though. Right now, the only thing Maggie wanted to focus on was the present and how gorgeous her girl looked as she came round, her eyes finding Maggie’s with ease.

‘Hey beautiful.’

A faint smile tugged at Alex’s lips. ‘You’re staring.’

‘ _Admiring_ , Alex,’ Maggie corrected. ‘Always admiring.’

‘You’re obsessed with me.’

That they could agree on. ‘Can you blame me?’

Alex’s smile grew a little bigger as she grew more alert, finally realizing her sister was also present. ‘Hey sis.’

‘Congratulations,’ Kara said, singing the many syllables of the word.

Confusion took over Alex’s features, her brow furrowing as her tired eyes narrowed. ‘Thank you?’ She slurred.

It took a second for Kara to click. ‘ _Oh_. I mean, not on being shot. On the engagement.’

Alex’s eyes travelled back to Maggie. ‘You told her?’

‘It slipped out,’ Maggie grinned. ‘I kinda love calling you my fiancée.’

‘And you thought _I_ couldn’t keep secrets,’ Alex said with a small laugh.

All joy quickly faded as her Maid of Honour became a little too excited and a little too much for someone fresh out of surgery to deal with. ‘If you want I can bring all those bridal magazines so you can start planning the big day.’

Alex reached for Maggie’s arm, her grip firm and her voice serious. ‘Do…do I have one of those morphine pumps?’

‘It’s okay, I’ll keep her in line,’ Maggie said, shooting her future sister-in-law a glare before her expression softened. ‘Could you give us a moment?’

Kara nodded, standing. ‘Sure. You want coffee?’

‘Water would be great, thank you,’ Maggie smiled back before Kara left.

‘You two are getting along,’ Alex remarked.

‘We are.’

‘That makes me happy.’

It made Maggie happy too - she finally had a family again. ‘When you get out of here, I’m taking you on a vacation. I don’t want our honeymoon to be our first vacation.’

Alex gave a small nod. ‘When am I getting out of here?’

Reluctant to answer, Maggie bought a few seconds with a sigh. ‘You’ll be in here for a while, babe. I’m gonna stay with you though. I’m a cop, you’re a DEO agent – they can try all they want to kick me out but I’m not going anywhere.’ She entwined her fingers with Alex’s. ‘I’ll be with you every step of this recovery, I promise.’

‘What about your job?’

‘I’ll figure something out.’ She’d quit if she had to. Right now, after everything, Alex had to come first. ‘You’re my priority and I love you.’

Then came a cocky little smile that Maggie couldn’t help but fall for. ‘Told you. You’re obsessed with me.’

That Maggie Sawyer indeed was.

/ / /

She waited a few days before she asked.

She wanted two things: one for Alex to be well enough to escape her hospital room for a little while and, two, for Alex to be lucid enough to remember it. The amount of pain she was in equated to an equally as insane amount of medication. For the first couple of days, she was more or less out of it. Alex could hold a conversation but she couldn’t hold her eyes open. Things eased by day three, so that was when Maggie used her police badge to buy access to an otherwise restricted roof that offered amazing views of National City, even on a dull day.

Today wasn’t dull though. The sun was out and the sky was a perfect blue.

Alex was in a wheelchair with an IV stuck in the crook of her arm and her surgically repaired leg was extended. Despite her pain, she was still in good spirits. They both were. They had survived a hellacious ordeal and were on the cusp of a beautiful lifetime together – grateful didn’t even begin to cover how they both felt.

‘Gorgeous,’ Alex mused as she took in the city before her.

‘And so are you,’ Maggie smiled as she put the brakes on the chair before crouching to slip her arms around her fiancée. She rested her chin on Alex’s shoulder and sighed contently. ‘Crazy couple of weeks, huh?’

‘You could say,’ Alex said as she clung onto Maggie’s forearms. ‘I wouldn’t trade any of them for the world though. Would,’ she twisted around slightly, to meet Maggie’s eyes. ‘Would you?’

Maggie shook her head. ‘The world could have been kinder to us, sure, but everything that’s happened has led me, _us_ , to this moment. So no, no I wouldn’t trade them for anything.’ She pressed her lips to her fiancée’s cheek before she relinquished her hold and came around to crouch in front of her.

Knowing what was about to happen only made Alex’s tears fall harder even despite her best efforts to fight them. She didn’t want to blinded by them. She wanted to remember every little detail, such how deep the little crinkles were around Maggie’s eyes and how soft Maggie’s hand was as she reached for Alex’s, as her other reached inside the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a little black box.

The three diamonds – one big centrepiece with a smaller one on either side – on the silver band finally made it feel real. Just like Maggie had said months ago, _it_ had been real. Any resolve left in Alex completely melted at the sight of that ring.

‘I can’t wait to be your wife,’ Maggie said with a wide smile as she slipped the ring, with ease, onto Alex’s finger. It was a perfect fit and Maggie marvelled at the sight. ‘Suits you.’

‘Yeah,’ Alex managed after a few seconds, choked by her own joy as she looked down at her finger’s new, and permanent accessory. ‘It really does. I just wish that I could give you--.’

Maggie pulled another box out from another pocket. ‘You can. Kara found it at yours.’

‘Have you looked?’

‘And ruin the surprise? No way.’

Alex believed her but, if she hadn’t, then Maggie’s reaction would have been all the proof that she needed.

She was lost for words as she laid eyes on the sole diamond that shimmered in the bright overhead sun. ‘Alex… _wow_.’

That ring had set Alex back nearly five thousand dollars. And she still wondered if it was enough for the woman who had not just changed her life but had bettered it and, on a number of occasions, saved it too. ‘You mean everything to me, Maggie,’ Alex said, reaching forward with a slight wince to wipe away her fiancée’s tears. ‘I’m so grateful that I ambushed your crime scene.’

‘Yeah me…wait, did you--.’

‘I did,’ Alex nodded. ‘You were there first, it was in your jurisdiction, it was _your_ crime scene.’

That concession only made Maggie cry more as she rested her forehead against Alex’s. ‘I always knew I was right. About that crime scene, about _you_. And I can’t wait for the rest of our lives together.’

‘I can’t either,’ Alex beamed.

Maggie nodded before she stood, wiping away the rest of her tears with the back of her hand. ‘The DEO is somewhere behind us. Last person to spot it has to be the one to tell your sister that we are not using _Copperplate Gothic_ as a wedding font.’

Alex shuddered. ‘Yikes, no pressure.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo that's the end...for now! Already planning a sequel to this fic - let me know if you're interested in reading one! Thank you for reading, for your kudos and for all your lovely comments! It was fun writing this and your support is truly appreciated!!


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